42nd annual auto show back in S.A.

For something fun to do this weekend, consider checking out the 42nd annual San Antonio International Auto and Truck Show, which continues today and Sunday at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center downtown.

The show features about 300 new cars, trucks, SUVs, crossovers and vans — all under one roof.

This year, there are even some test-drives available, courtesy of General Motors. The GM Ride & Drive event will include the Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox, Traverse and Silverado Hybrid; the GMC Terrain, Acadia and Yukon Denali Hybrid; and the Buick Regal, LaCrosse and Enclave.

Those vehicles will be available for test drives from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, and the drives take place outside, of course.

On the show floor, you can look the vehicles over, kick the tires, check out the interiors and get a close look at most of the new vehicles on the market this fall.

What’s great is that there is no sales pressure. Sales are not permitted at the show so you can look at your leisure. The manufacturer and dealership representatives are there only to answer your questions about the vehicles.

Sponsored by the San Antonio Automobile Dealers Association, the show features vehicles from 70 local franchised dealerships and 22 manufacturers.

On display are some of the hottest new models this year, as well as a host of fuel-efficient vehicles, including the newest gasoline-electric hybrids and diesels.

Other GM vehicles on display at the show are the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon and Coupe, Cadillac SRX midsize crossover utility vehicle, Chevy Corvette Grand Sport and the Corvette ZR1 supercar,

Among Ford Motor Co.’s offerings are the redesigned 2011 Super Duty pickup, the new Ford Fiesta, the Ford Mustang, the restyled Ford Edge crossover, the Ford F-150, the Ford Taurus large sedan, the restyled Lincoln MKX crossover and the MKZ hybrid sedan.

Chrysler has its redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram Heavy Duty pickups at the show, along with the Dodge Challenger and the Ram 1500 pickups.

Toyota features Tundra pickups from the San Antonio plant, along with the redesigned Sienna minivan and Avalon large sedan. Also on the show floor is the Tacoma midsize pickup that now is being produced at the San Antonio plant. Scion will show off the new tC coupe.